Taika Waititi Biography
Taika David Cohen also known as Taika Waiti is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award and has received two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. His most famous films are Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople which reached the top-grossing New Zealand film.
Waititi was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. He attended Onslow College and later studied theatre at Victoria University of Wellington where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997. He originally used his mother’s surname, Cohen, for his work in film and writing, and his father’s, Waititi, for visual arts endeavors. Following the success of his first short film, he continued to use Waititi professionally. While still in college, Taika was part of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts alongside Jemaine Clement, which received New Zealand’s highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999.
In 2000 Taika was nominated for Best Actor at the Nokia Film Awards for his role in the Sarkies Brother’s film “Scarfies”. He also received an Academy Award nomination for his performances in films like Two Cars and One Night. His first feature film was a romantic comedy called Eagle vs Shark, which was released in 2007. That year, Waititi wrote and directed one episode of the TV show Flight of the Conchords. He was also seen in a film called Boy, which was the highest-grossing local film in New Zealand history after it was released.
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In the following years, Waititi directed the New Zealand TV series Super City starring Madeleine Sami, who plays five characters living in one city. That year, he also portrayed Thomas Kalmaku in the superhero film Green Lantern. Two years later, Taika co-wrote, co-directed, and acted in the vampire comedy mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows with Clement. Moreover, he has also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. Another breakthrough in his career took place in 2016 after the release of the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
That same year, he also wrote a Disney film Moana, which focused on gender and family. In addition to that, Taika won the award for New Zealander of the Year. He also directed his first major studio film, Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, which was released in October 2017. In the play, he portrayed the role of the alien Korg. Other than that, he has directed and written films like The Mandalorian, “Chapter 8: Redemption”, The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, and Reservation Dogs. Waititi wrote and directed Jojo Rabbit, based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens.
Furthermore, Taika has obtained Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. He was also the first person of Māori descent to win an Academy Award in a screenplay category, and the first indigenous person to be nominated for and win Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2021 Waititi won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media as a producer of the Jojo Rabbit soundtrack. Additionally, he performed as a voice actor in the 2022 animated film Lightyear as Mo Morrison. That same year, Taika wrote and directed the superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok which was released in July of that year.
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Prior to that, he executive produced, directed, and starred as Blackbeard in the HBO Max comedy series Our Flag Means Death. Likewise, Time magazine placed him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world that year. For his upcoming project, he is except to direct a live-action film adaptation of Akira. He is set to executive produce and directs another series The Auteur and We’re Wolves. Similarly, Taika is slated to write and direct a film based on Flash Gordon for 20th Century Studios.
Taika Waititi Age
Taika is 47 years old as of 2023. He was born on August 16, 1975, in Wellington, New Zealand. In addition, he celebrates his birthday on August 16 every year.
Taika Waititi Wife
Waititi is married to the British singer Rita Ora. The couple started dating in 2021 and exchanged vows the following year. However, they confirm the relationship publicly in January 2023. Early, he was in a relationship with New Zealand actress and writer Loren Horsley for ten years.
Taika Waititi Divorced
Taika got married to his first wife New Zealand film producer Chelsea Winstanley in 2011. The pair was blessed with two daughters namely Matewa Kiritapu and Te Kainga O’Te Hinekahu Waititi. However, after seven years of marriage, they separated.
Taika Waititi Family
Waititi was the son of a Māori father who was an artist. His mother worked as a teacher. His mother’s paternal grandfather was a Russian Jew whose family came from Novozybkov, Bryansk Oblast. He was raised by his mother because his parents separated when he was around five.
Taika Waititi Net Worth
Taika has an estimated net worth of $ 13 million dollars. This includes his personal assets, money, and income. His career is the main source of income.